Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1887-11-26

divers or wreckers and as the weather
babe fair to hold pleasant no anchor
watch was set. As the weather was hot
the sailors slept on deck, there being one
white man and Ave natives. Everything
passed off quietly until just in the gray
of the morning. when terrible eommo-
ton ON deck routed me out. Isseemed that
an octopus had crawled up the low side of
the schooner, perhaps TO crafty its curios-
ity, but seeing the sleeping men had. per-
haps, also to crafty its curiosity, flung a
feeler at one of them, and taken such
hold of his hand and arm that he awoke
with shout of pain. The others were also
aroused, and seeing what had happened
they seized whatever weapons were of
hand and made the octopus release its
hold. came on deck just as 1t fell into
the water alongside, and the splash was
as heavy as IL man had fallen over
board. A portion of the feeler which
had grasped the sailor had been broken
off by the blows. There were three or
four feet of it, and for time it sqnirmed
and twisted about the deck like snake
II had touched the mans flesh only in
ono spot on the back of the hand, but he
made as much ado over it as one would
a bullet in the leg. 1t was q horrible
wound. however. The flesh was puck
cred up and blistered, and the spot where
the cup had taken hold looked like
an erysipelas sore. 1t was long four
weeks before the wound healed, and the
scar left closely resembled that Of burn.
had the sailor in the cabin dressing
his hand, and it was twenty minutes
after we had beaten off the octopus, when
there was another cry from the deck, and
| heard the men run forward and tumble
into the forecastle and slide the cover,
More from instinct than any thought OF
danger closed the cabin door, then the
skylight which lighted the cabin. There
was q slide door in the forecastle bulk
head communicating with the hold, and
also one from the cabin. After two or
three minutes the sailors came climbing
over the cargo-we being about one-third
full--and l let them into the cabin. l
never saw a more frightened lot of men,
and could not at first believe the story
they told. They said that when the &C.
topus fell into the water he swam off in
the direction of rocky reef IN our port
quarter, and distant about 200 feet.
After few minutes the msn noticed
considerable commotion in the water, and
this gradually approached. All at once
| they made out five or sis; octopuses ut
the vessels side, and before they drew
back and ran away the monsters were
throwing their feelers over the low bull
w; ks.
There's one of EN-, sir there's onei"
shouted the mate at this moment, and we
turned to the skylight to see three or
four of the horrible feelers playing over
| it. AT the same moment the schooner
was canted to port with sudden pull all
Of three. streaks, or with as much force
as strong puff of wind would have ex-
| erci5ed in the open sea. At this move
ment all the natives broke out in yell Of
alright, and, as | sternly rebuked them.
one Of them exclaimed:
"Oh! Captain, the devil fish have come
aboard, end not one of us can escaped
There was no longer any doubt that VIC
we've beset by the creatures. There was
not q second in which the feelers were
not playing over the skylight. and others
could be heard fastening to and dragging
things about the deck. AS the entire
affair was afterward put in writing,
sworn to by every man on board, and
left With the representative Of the British
government at Surahava, Island of Java,
shall not hesitate here to state particu-
lars. The noise on deck might be hkencd
to row between four or five men.
Everything movable was being moved
nd flung about My skylight had q
hGrd wood frame and heavy glass, and
Inc feelers found very little to grasp. The
loisc made as the cups fastened to the
"iass by suction and let go again was like
| the enap of pair of pincers. Looking
from the bulls eye in the stern could
see that the water was all in a commo-
ton, although there was not breath Of
air outside
l had q dozen muskets, as many
bikes, several cutlasses, and nine or ten
iatchets in the cabin. This was the
chooner's regular armament, for we
we're continually among suspicious peo-
lie. let the men take their choice of
Weapons, and then divided our force and
,ent half the number back to the fore.
castle, from which they could open the
attack at signal. Then carefully slid
back the door Of the companion to get q
look on deck. The sight was one nc
man could ever forget. If there was
one octopus on the port rail their were q
dozen, and if there was one feeler twist.
ing and squirming around the decks there
were forty. They were twisted about
everything and pulled at everything
Every coil of rope was off its pin and
being dragged and whipped about in the
widest fashion, and from the motion Of
the schooner one could not but think thu
monsters were trying to capsize her.
did not have more than thirty seconds
time to glance around before three Oh
four feelers shot at me at once, and
closed the slide not q second too soon tt
avoid them. M
1t was death in its most horrible form
10 put foot on the deck, and sent wort
70 the rlcn in the forecastle not TO at
tempt any movement. l was in hope
that if we remained quiet the creature
would tire themselves out and 30 ava,
after awhile, and we spoke in whisper
and moved about as softly as possible